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No. 606,738. Patented July 5, I898 A. L. ROCKSTROM.

PRESSURE REGULATOR FOR LIQUID STERILI ZERS.

(Application filed Aug. 12, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets$heet I.

W/TNESSES: nv VENTOH By WW6 m: Noam; wsrzws co. PNOTOLIITHOH WASHXNGTONn cy No. 606,738. Patented July 5, I898.

.A. L. ROCKSTRD M. PRESSURE REGULATOR FOR LIQUID STERILIZERS(Application filed Aug. 12, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets+Sheet 2.

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. :UNITED' "S TES.

PATENT ()FFICE.

AXEL LEONARD ROCKSTRGM, OF NORBERG, SW'EDEN.

PRESSURE-REGULATOR FOR LIQUID-STERILIZERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 606,738, dated July 5,1898. Application filed August 12, l8 97. Serial No. 648,055. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AxEL LEONARD ROCK- sTROM, brewer, a subject of theKingfof Sweden and Norway, and a resident of Nor-.

berg, in the Kingdom of Sweden, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Pressure-Regulators for Liquid-Sterilizers, of which thefollowing.isa'ispecification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings. 1. o I

. My object is to maintain during the whole pasteurizing'process, bothwhile heating and while cooling the substance,a pressure around thevessels which always equals or slightly exceeds the pressure in theinterior of the vessels. ing manner: .The vessels are placed in a closedreceptacle, which is filled with water, and by forcing into saidreceptacle or drawing ofi from it Water or a gas during the heating orcooling operation the vessels are subjected to an external pressureequaling orexceeding that which simultaneously exists in their interior.The fluid under pressure may be supplied or drawn off by handorau'tomatically. In the former case enou'ghis supplied ofthe fluid toobtain an external pressure equaling or slightly exceeding that whichhasb'een found by previous investigation to exist in the interior of thevessels during the operation. In the latter case the internal pressureitself is used for the purposeby allowing it to act upon a valve or thelike, by which the communication is opened or shut between apressure-generator, the open air or a reservoir, and the closedreceptacle. During the heating operation the internal pressure rises,and owing to this increase in pressure the valve leading to thepressure-generator is actuated, so as to cause a corresponding quantityof pressure fiuid to flow into the receptacle and make the externalpressure equal to that of the interior. While cooling takes place andthe pressure consequently is sinking, a valve is actuated, permitting ofthe discharge of thefpressure fluid into the .open air or into areservoir or back to'the pressure-generator, and thus causing theexternal pressure to fall in the same degree as the internal one.-

In the drawings the pasteurizing appara tus referred to is showncombined with an automatic pressure-regulator.

This is accomplished in'the follow-v Figure lis an elevation of thepasteurizing apparatus having a portion of the closed receptacleremoved, so as to show the pressureregulator. Fig. 2 represents avertical sectional view, on enlarged scale, of the upper portion of thepressure-regulator.

, D is the closed receptacle,wl1icl1 may be of any convenient shape. andsize and may be heated and cooled either from within or from without andis provided with a hermeticallyclo'sing cover B, through which thebottles are introduced and removed. Above this receptacle 1) there is asmaller receptacle E, having a volume equal to about six per cent. ofthe cubic contents of the receptacle D. Said receptacle E is providedwith a pressure-gage O and a safety-valve P and communicates,"throughthe pipesQ and c, with the receptacle D and through'the pipe 0 with apressure-regulator S. This is so mounted that its lower portion is inthe interior of the receptacle, while its upper portion falls outsidethe latter. The regulator S, through a pipe 01, communicates with aholder containing carbonic acid or with an air-compressor or otherpressure-generator.

-A is a beer-bottle or other vessel having the same volume andcoefficient of expansion as the other vessels used. This vessel A at itsupper portion fits hermetically to the wall of the'receptacle D. Whenfilled up to L, it holds the same amount of liquid as is ordinarilytapped into a bottle.

Fig. 2 shows in a sectional View the upper portion of the pressure-regulator, which is outside of the receptacle.

d is the conduit communicating with the pressure-generator and arrangedso as to be shut off from the latter by means of two valves 1- t ofequal size and eoverin g valve-openings of equal size. These valves aremounted on a Vertical spindle which is movable lengthwise and at thelower end of which there is fixed between two round metal disks a rounddisk F of rubber, horn, thinflexible steel, or the like. The disk F isat its outer edge fastened to the wall of the apparatus, so'that thelatter will be hermetically divided-horizontally.

O is a low-pressure chamber, the cross-sectional area of which is manytimes greater than that of the valve-openings. Said chamber Ocommunicates through a passage K (shown in dotted lines in the drawings)with the chamber G.

B is a chamber of the same volume as the air-space between the cork andthe beer in a beer-bottle filled to the ordinary extent.

M is a discharge-conduit from a third valveopening, which may be closedby means of the double valve I. The distance between the two uppervalve-openings is not greater than to allow of one being only slightly(about one millimeter) open when the valve closes the other.

On placin thebeer-bottles in the receptacle D and closing it up saidreceptacle is filled with water, which may be done through a cockarranged for the purpose. The vessel A is filled with beer up to L, andthe pressure-regulator S is brought in communication at cl with thepressure-generator and at c with the receptacle E. The receptacle D isthen heated. As the pressure in the beer-bottles increases that in thevessel A'will also increase, the pressure under the flexible disk Fconsequently forcing the latter upward and cansing it to open the valvesI and I, which will again close the valve-openings as soon as thepressure on the upper side of the disk increases and the latter as aresult thereof is forced downward. The valves again open as soon as thepressure in the vessel A and the beer-bottles increases. In this mannerthere is successively created in the apparatus around the bottles apressure which, so to speak, regulates itself in such a manner that itwill always correspond to the pressure generated in the bottles duringthe pasteurizing process, the bursting of the bottles and the blowingout of the corks being thus prevented.

The temperature is observed by means of the thermometer N. \Vhen thecooling is co1n menced, the communication with the pressuregenerator isshut off and the cock in the discharge-conduit M (see Fig. 1) is opened.As the pressure in the vessel A falls the higher pressure on theupperside of the disk F forces the latter downward, causing the third ortop valve to open and remain so until the external and internalpressures become equal. Instead of the thin flexible membrane there maybe used a piston attached to the valvespindle and arranged so as to beshifted when the internal and external pressures differ-,said pistonevidently doing the same service as the flexible membrane.

The receptacle E serves to receive the surplus of water accumulatingduring the heating operation in the receptacle D, said surplus during hecooling again descending into the latter receptacle, which is thus keptfilled during the whole process.

If the external pressure is to be produced by forcing in cold water, thepipe 0', Fig. 1, is shut off by means of the cock mounted in the same.The cold, and therefore heavier, water forced in is thus prevented fromentering directly into the receptacle D,- which would cause partialdisturbances in the heating of the bottles, and, when the differences oftemperature are considerable, cracks in the bottles, owing to thecontraction of the glass. lVhen coolingis to take place, the cock in thepipe 0 is again opened.

The portion of the pressure -regulator S which is just above thereceptacle D ought to be surrounded by some heat-insulating material, soas to prevent loss of heat during the heating operation. As long asexcessively high pressure is not used the pressure-regulater is verysensitive, the differences of pressure being brought about so suddenlythat the disk F and the valves I and I are kept continually vibrating,provided that heating and cooling continue without interruption.

As mentioned, the pressure may also be regulated by hand, thepressure-regulator described being then unnecessary. In this case thepressure in the vessels must have been previously determined fordifferent temperatures and a table of these variations prepared, so asto enable of finding the minimum pressure, corresponding to a reading ofthe temperature on a thermometer, required outside the vessels forproducing equilibrium with the internal pressure. By the pressure-gageit is afterward ascertained that the pressure 5 for greater security bekept somewhat higher than that given by the table, this beingaccomplished by supplying to or drawing from the receptacle a greater orless quantity of the pressure fluid.

Having now described. my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination,the receptacle D adapted to receive the containingvessels and the regulator adapted to connect with the interior of thereceptacle and with one containing vessel, said pressure-regulator beingexposed to the internal pressure of said containing vessel,substantially as described.

2. In combination in a pasteurizing apparatus, the receptacle D forreceiving the containing vessels and a pressure ll u id, a generatorlocated above the receptacle and connected therewith and an automaticpressure-regulator controlled by the relative pressure in one containingvessel and the generator and receptacle, substantially as described.

3. In combination, the receptacle D adapted to receive the containingvessels and a pressure regulator for regulatin the pressure therein toexert an external pressure on the exterior of the containing vessels,the said regulator being connected with a vessel having the sameinterior volume and containing the same substances to be sterilized asthe regular containing vessels and havinga valve with controlling meanstherefor acted upon by the pressure in the aforesaid vessel, said valvecontrolling the pressure in the receptacle D, substantially asdescribed.

4-. In combination, the receptacle D adapted to receive the containingvessels, the regulator adapted to connect with the interior of thereceptacle and with one containing vessel, said pressure-regulatorhaving avalve and a diaphragm connected therewith and exposed to theinternal pressure of said conta ning vessel, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing Witnesses. n

AXEL LEONARD ROOKSTROM.

Witnesses:

ERNST SVANQVVIST, HANS B. OHLSSON.

